Jon Goswick
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After a brew day does you element get a bit more funky than you'd like? Do you clean it, and what's your preferred method?
After brew cleanup-electric guys
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Jon Goswick
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OK, I just rubbed it down with a wet cotton cloth. Do you add anything to water, temp specific?
BeardedBrews
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I heat up enough water to cover the element to 110f and mix in alkaline brewery wash. I usually let that sit for a while, not sure it needs to soak long but I've always got something else to put away.
Everything comes clean with a light rub with a green scrub sponge thing.
Everything comes clean with a light rub with a green scrub sponge thing.
I use 160-degree water and the recommended amount of PBW and it is amazing the way it cleans and shines everything. No scrubbing. I'll let the system recirculate for 10 or 15 minutes, the movement of the water helps speed it along.
sicktght311
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Every brew day goes like this....
While boil is heating up, I empty the mash tun, rinse it down, then set up the pumps to run as if I was mashing and I run the remaining hot HLT water through the hot and mash tun to flush out the hoses and clean up. I drain, shop vac both kettles, herms coil, then set the pump up to the boil kettle for the eventual whirlpool
Once the boil is done and empty, I drain the remaining left in the BK, shop vac all the hops and funk out, rinse with clean water, fill to just above boil line, heat up to 120, and run a scoop of oxiclean and whirlpool for about 20-30 minutes. I take a long handle scrub brush and scrub the element, then drain that water, rinse the sides of the kettle and fill about 2 gallons with clean water, recirculate for a couple minutes, drain the clean water, then shop vac and dry
All done and ready for the next brew day
While boil is heating up, I empty the mash tun, rinse it down, then set up the pumps to run as if I was mashing and I run the remaining hot HLT water through the hot and mash tun to flush out the hoses and clean up. I drain, shop vac both kettles, herms coil, then set the pump up to the boil kettle for the eventual whirlpool
Once the boil is done and empty, I drain the remaining left in the BK, shop vac all the hops and funk out, rinse with clean water, fill to just above boil line, heat up to 120, and run a scoop of oxiclean and whirlpool for about 20-30 minutes. I take a long handle scrub brush and scrub the element, then drain that water, rinse the sides of the kettle and fill about 2 gallons with clean water, recirculate for a couple minutes, drain the clean water, then shop vac and dry
All done and ready for the next brew day
Decided to brew today....appropriate, it was my 76th batch. On the 4th of July.
Here are a couple pics I took, before and after cleaning as per above. The coating on the element just comes right off. I don't know if that happens with just hot water and PBW, or if the element has to fire, which I do to bring the temp up to 160. Either way, clean as a whistle:
Here are a couple pics I took, before and after cleaning as per above. The coating on the element just comes right off. I don't know if that happens with just hot water and PBW, or if the element has to fire, which I do to bring the temp up to 160. Either way, clean as a whistle:
applescrap
Be the ball!
Passedpawn has a video of how to do it. It is serious and should be done with caution. Iirc he dry fires it and cleans it. I did it once by accident and it works great.
applescrap
Be the ball!
Wow, pbw seems a good legit way to go
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
We have 4 of these elements to clean in our BK at the brewpub. I normally clean them in a similar manner as mongoose but for some reason I usually have to spray or wipe mine down since the buildup likes to cling to the side areas of the elements. It does wipe right off after a PBW soak.
I dont recommend using the green abrasive scrubbers as suggested above since it actually makes the surface full of fine scratches which hold onto buildup more and makes them harder to clean. I have used the blue scrubby sponges with good results.
I dont recommend using the green abrasive scrubbers as suggested above since it actually makes the surface full of fine scratches which hold onto buildup more and makes them harder to clean. I have used the blue scrubby sponges with good results.
Does anyone remove their elements to make sure both sides are clean?
I've been doing the dry-fire cleaning forever, but I brewed this weekend and tried the "hot water and oxyclean" thing. Even let it sit overnight. The goop was still clinging to the element - I had to manually clean it off, and I really didn't get all of it. Maybe PBW works better, but I'm going back to the dryfiring.
Did you heat the water up with the element, after the PBW (or whatever you're using) was mixed into the water? I suspect, haven't tested, that it works better when the element is heating the water.
Yea, right at the end of the brewday, I filled the keggle up to the top with water, put a scoop of oxyclean in there, and let it get up to 160 or 170F. Then it sat overnight. Then drained and had to take a brush to clean it off. I used to make my own PBW (oxyclean/tsp/citric acid) but I don't bother anymore. Maybe I'll add some TSP to it next time just to see - that stuff is very caustic and might help a lot.
The reason I'm again trying to make it work (and trying to avoid the dryfire) is because I've been re-inventing my brewing system and I'd like to go to the stainless elements - they don't handle the dryfire event.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
I found the buildup does fall right off more or less if you mix up a strong pbw solution. I find its inconsistent though. I've had it come right off and other times it required manual scrubbing. I'm not really sure why but guess it's some byproduct of certian grains or adjuncts like rye or oats.
What element is that? They are smoother and shinier than mine.
Good timing on the question...
I only do a light cleaning on my equipment after each brew day. No need to spit shine the stuff each time.
However I do an annual cleaning to make it look brand new again and remove all traces of beer stone, etc. I just got done doing it about 2 hours ago.
If you think PBW is amazing stuff, wait until you see what 180F PBW does. Absolutely everything just melts rights off. Don't need to scrub at all. Just rinse when done. I had much better results also using real PBW, not the DIY stuff.
I only do a light cleaning on my equipment after each brew day. No need to spit shine the stuff each time.
However I do an annual cleaning to make it look brand new again and remove all traces of beer stone, etc. I just got done doing it about 2 hours ago.
If you think PBW is amazing stuff, wait until you see what 180F PBW does. Absolutely everything just melts rights off. Don't need to scrub at all. Just rinse when done. I had much better results also using real PBW, not the DIY stuff.
andrewmaixner
Well-Known Member
Mine doesn't come clean with just hot PBW re-circulation. It isn't a shiny element, it's the dark grey 5500W Ripple version.
I use this: https://www.brew-boss.com/Cleaning-Brush-for-Heater-Elements-p/brush-heater.htm
Edit: I increased the strength of the PBW this time, and took it up to 190F instead of maybe 150F in the past. It seems to have made a significant difference in how clean it got.
I use this: https://www.brew-boss.com/Cleaning-Brush-for-Heater-Elements-p/brush-heater.htm
Edit: I increased the strength of the PBW this time, and took it up to 190F instead of maybe 150F in the past. It seems to have made a significant difference in how clean it got.
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I guess I'll just drop this here. If you don't have an incoloy ULWD element, don't try it. But it has worked for me for many years. Go ahead, do it, I dbl dog dare ya.
Yeah, I stopped doing the dryfire when I switched to SS elements. I wasn't sure if it was an issue, but I didn't want to be the one to try it out. After brewing with a high percentage of rye, I had a lot of build up on my elements. I tried 100% lye, 1lb diluted into 15 gallons and everything came out sparkling. As always, lye is dangerous stuff. Wear protective gloves & goggles, don't add water to lye and don't add lye to boiling/near boiling water.
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I have lots of lye (NaOH solid) sitting around, I might try that. In theory, though, TSP (tri sodium phospate) would produce the same effect (both are caustic). I'll try the TSP first since it's available at Home Depot cheap.
sicktght311
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After this thread, and my subsequent month of frequent brew days, i guess this is a good question to ask for this thread
How often do you clean what? For me i dont really ever clean my HLT other than just emptying it and drying it after every brew day. Mash Tun gets FULLY cleaned. I scoop grains out, pull out the false bottom, rinse the remaining grains, give it a full scrub down and soak, rinse and dry. Its always spotless at the end of each brew session. But the Boil Kettle has left me questioning what everyone else does. After a brew day its got a lot of obvious leftover hops at the bottom, gunk on the sides, etc. So in the past i have been doing full oxiclean soaks, scrubs, rinses, and cleans until its squeaky clean. Is this really necessary every time? After my last brew day i shop vac'ed everything out of it, filled it with about 4 gallons of water, scrubbed the hop matter off the sides, ran a 20 minute cycle through my pump and hoses with oxiclean, drained, rinsed down with a spray nozzle and cold water to just high enough to cover the whirlpool port, ran that water through the pump and hoses, drained that, and dried it. Theres still a bit of light hop matter in the bottom, but thats about it. Good enough?
How often do you clean what? For me i dont really ever clean my HLT other than just emptying it and drying it after every brew day. Mash Tun gets FULLY cleaned. I scoop grains out, pull out the false bottom, rinse the remaining grains, give it a full scrub down and soak, rinse and dry. Its always spotless at the end of each brew session. But the Boil Kettle has left me questioning what everyone else does. After a brew day its got a lot of obvious leftover hops at the bottom, gunk on the sides, etc. So in the past i have been doing full oxiclean soaks, scrubs, rinses, and cleans until its squeaky clean. Is this really necessary every time? After my last brew day i shop vac'ed everything out of it, filled it with about 4 gallons of water, scrubbed the hop matter off the sides, ran a 20 minute cycle through my pump and hoses with oxiclean, drained, rinsed down with a spray nozzle and cold water to just high enough to cover the whirlpool port, ran that water through the pump and hoses, drained that, and dried it. Theres still a bit of light hop matter in the bottom, but thats about it. Good enough?
Mash tun: rinsed out well, allowed to dry. Maybe a deep clean once every 10 brews or so.
BK: Rinsed out well at end of brew, then 4 gallons of water added (enough to submerge all ports). Heat up to 160 degrees, adding PBW. Recirc through pump and such for 15 minutes or so, scrub parts of kettle with brush that are above water level. Drain, then rinse, rinse, rinse. During this time I'm running the mix through the counterflow chiller as well.
When I brew, I preboil strike water, and that all is recirculated through the counterflow chiller. Everything sanitized, in other words. Then chill it to strike and pump into strike kettle underletting the grain.
No HLT.
BK: Rinsed out well at end of brew, then 4 gallons of water added (enough to submerge all ports). Heat up to 160 degrees, adding PBW. Recirc through pump and such for 15 minutes or so, scrub parts of kettle with brush that are above water level. Drain, then rinse, rinse, rinse. During this time I'm running the mix through the counterflow chiller as well.
When I brew, I preboil strike water, and that all is recirculated through the counterflow chiller. Everything sanitized, in other words. Then chill it to strike and pump into strike kettle underletting the grain.
No HLT.
andrewmaixner
Well-Known Member
all-stainless/silicon custom built E-BIAB (similar to a brewboss):
-rinse grain basket well in sink, dry.
for kettle/pump/chiller:
-pump out all trub with quick clean water rinse
-PBW recirc and quick brush scrub of upper kettle walls (now at 180F)
-pump through clean water rinse
-partially disassemble fittings and drain, air dry
Every 2nd/3rd time: empty PBW into 5gal bucket to soak fully disassembled fittings/hoses
Probably overkill.
-rinse grain basket well in sink, dry.
for kettle/pump/chiller:
-pump out all trub with quick clean water rinse
-PBW recirc and quick brush scrub of upper kettle walls (now at 180F)
-pump through clean water rinse
-partially disassemble fittings and drain, air dry
Every 2nd/3rd time: empty PBW into 5gal bucket to soak fully disassembled fittings/hoses
Probably overkill.
MLT - Clean with soap & water after every use
HLT - Don't have one
RIMS - Clean with soap & water after every use
Elec BK - Minimum I clean with soap & water after every use. If I'm lazy I'll do an oxy soak overnight. I do an acid soak once or twice a year to remove beerstone.
At least once a year, I will brew a gluten free beer for my wife. I'll clean all the above with caustic, followed by an acid rinse and take apart the ball valves. I'm not sure if my system gets the deep clean because I'm brewing a GF beer or if I brew a GF beer because I just did a deep clean of my system, but if my wife asks, I cleaned everything for her beer.
HLT - Don't have one
RIMS - Clean with soap & water after every use
Elec BK - Minimum I clean with soap & water after every use. If I'm lazy I'll do an oxy soak overnight. I do an acid soak once or twice a year to remove beerstone.
At least once a year, I will brew a gluten free beer for my wife. I'll clean all the above with caustic, followed by an acid rinse and take apart the ball valves. I'm not sure if my system gets the deep clean because I'm brewing a GF beer or if I brew a GF beer because I just did a deep clean of my system, but if my wife asks, I cleaned everything for her beer.
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